Rear window shade for automobiles



wm Q

W. C. MERCIER REAR WINDOW SHADE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed MaICh 7, 1927 Aug. 16, 1932.

INVENTOR BY @u ATTORNEY Vms Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES vWARREN c. MERCIER, E DANEURY, CONNECTICUT REAR WINDOW SHADE roR AUTOMOBILES e IApplication filedl March 7, 1927. Serial No.i1f?3r,358.

Lm device of the above nature which is simple and inexpensive and readily. adapted for ap-y plication to the various makes andstyles of automobiles. Other objects will be in part V obvious or in part pointed ,outhereinaften L The invention accordingly consists vin the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure Ato be, hereinafter a s described and the scope of the application of which `will be indicated inv the following claim. Y n Y e ,f e In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodimentsrof this invention,"` V f f Figure-lis a sectional view of an automobile vbody showing somewhat diagrammatically a rear .window shade and its control;

Fig. `2 is a front view of the rearwindow l j with the shade and its support shown partly in section; .e r

Fig., 3 isj a view taken as indicated by the section line 8 3 of Fig. 2; and f Fig. 4. is a sectional view of parts of the j control. y Y- v Similar reference` characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing. 1 -V Y As conducive toa clearer understanding of the'features of this invention, it may be here pointed out that, when driving an 'automobile at night, the headlights` of a car following inthe rear are a source of continual ,an- Y noyance to the driver and, in addition, give rise' to a real danger.` If the light fromrthe car in the rear shines through the rear'windowof the forwardpcar, it generally falls full upon the windshield and greatly hampers the-vision of the driver. The reflected light 50 glaring in the eyes of the driver often renders it practically impossible to see through the windshield. 1 It is therefore desirable that the rear window be provided with a curtain or shade to cut olf this glaring light. However, a shade of this nature is of littleuseunless it is ca-V pable of being raised and lowered convenient# ly, [and particularly in cars of the closed type. The shade, when it is lowered or operative, cuts off the drivers view to the rear and must be removed from -inl front of the window if the driverwishes to scan the trallic in back before making a turn or coming toa stop, or if he wishes to back up. In cars of the sedan or coach types,1the shade is not within reachl of the driver or other occupa-nt of the front seat, and itis extremely aggravating tovbe unable to raise 0r lower theshade without climbing into the backv vof the car todo it. It is one of the dominant aims of 'this in` vention to provide a shade which overcomes these disadvantages in a simple and thoroughly practical manner. Y y Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing in detail, there is shown an automobile body 10 mounted uponV a frame or chassis 11 and having a front seat 12 'and a rear seat 13. This body is of the closed type and is provided with a rear window 14 which, as will beiseen, is substantially on a level with the windshield 15 thereby permitting the glaringk light from the headlights of a carin the rear to strike the windshield in front kof the driver. The window 14 is provided with a shade k16 which is preferably mounted upon a roller 17 (Fig. 2) for movement -into andout of operative position over the f, window. The roller 17 is mounted on the inner side of the body above the window and, in the embodi-4 ment here shown, it is hollow and rotatably carriedrupon the shaft or rod 18. `The rodl 18 is supported at its ends in brackets 19 and 2O secured to thebody. Y y Within the roller 1T is a spring 21 which tends continually to rotate the roller about 95 the rod 18 in a direction to roll up the shade j 16 and remove it from in front of the window. The hollow roller has fixed in its two ends a pair of bushings 22 and 23 which are rotatable upon the rod 1S. The spring 21 1s pretf-` 100 erably coiled about the rod 18 and is suitably tensioned by being connected to the rod at one end 24 and to the bushing 23 at the other end.

The curtain has secured vtherein at its lower end a suitable stick or rod 25 which may be weighted if found desirable so that the shade will fall into extended position over the window when the roller 17 is rotated to unwind it. Projecting from the left-hand end of the stick 25, as viewed in Fig. 2, 4is van'eye 26 which encircles a cord vor wire 27 the upper end of which may be fastened to the bracket 19 and the lower end of which issuitably fastened to the body as at'28.'

i Projecting from the right-hand end of the stick is an eye 29 similar to the eye 26. Through this eye 29 passes a cord or wire 30 which extendssubstantially parallel to the cord or wire 27. Preferably the member 3() is a flexible metallic wire member and at its upper end it is secured to the surface of a pulley 31.v This pulley 31 is fixed upon a hub 23a of the bushing 23 and hence, whenthe pulley rotates, the roller 17 rotates'therewith to extend or withdraw the shade 1,6.v In the position of the parts shown VinFigs. 2 and 3, the shade is rolled up and the wire 30 is'coiled about the pulley 31 a number of times. By pulling downwardly upon the wire 30,-the wire is uncoiled from `the pulley 31 and the roller 17 is rotated with the pulley in a direction to unroll the shade and extend it in front of the window. As the shade moves downwardly or upwardly its lower end is guided by the members 27 and 30 and,

when the shade is extended, these parts, co-Y operating with the eyes 26 and 29, hold-the shade against flapping.

As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the flexible wire 30.enters a small tube or pipe 31 projecting upwardly from in back of the rear seat back. Referring now to Fig. 1, this pipe 31 ex'- tends downwardly from adjacent the window 14 and thence forwardly along the body, .preferably beneath the floor-boards,running, for example, along the edge of the frame 11. The; forward end portion of the pipe 31 curves upwardly adjacent to the dash 32 and terminates in front of the dash beneath the hood 33. The pipe 31 is of an inner diameter to s lidably receive the wire 30, and the wire extends therethrough and projects from the forward end of the pipe or tube, where'its end is Vsecured to the surfaceofa pulley 34. This pulley 34 is `positioned in front of the dash l32-beneath theY engine hood of the automobile and is fixed upon Vazshaft r35. The shaft 35 has a bearing support 36 upon the dash 32 and extends upwardly and rearwardly through the dash and through the instrument.

Y board 37 in which it has a second bearing.

On the outer end of the shaft 35, and thus positioned on the outer surface ofthe Yinstrument board 37 within convenient reach of the driver, is fixed a small crank 38 by means'of which the shaft 35, and hence the pulley 34, may be rotated.

With the parts positioned as shown in the drawing, when the crank 38 is rotated, the wire is drawn forwardly through the tube 31 and coiled upon the pulley 34. This effects uncoiling of the wire Vfrom the pulley 31 upon the shade roller and rotates the roller to unroll and move the shade into operative position overLthe window. When the crank is now turned in the opposite direction, the spring 21 rollsthe shade up.

The spring 21 keeps the wire 3() always under tension andtends to turn the shaft and the crank 38 4in a direction to roll u-p the shade; In order to hold the Shade inextended or operative position against the-action of the spring suitable means is provided for yieldingly holding the shaft 35 against rotation. Referrin erably'takes the rm of a springepressed detent consisting of a plunge-r 39 mounted in a recess in the bearing bracket 36and urged outwardlyV by i a ySpring 40 against the rear surface of the pulley 34. In the rear surface of the pulley are provided ai plurality of Vpressed recesses 41A for cooperation with the end of the plunger'ir39. Thus the crank 38 may be turned to position the shade in any desired position either fully unrolled or partly unrolled,land the detent 39 yieldingly holds theshade in such position against the action ofthe spring. 1

From the foregoing,"it willbe seen that there is herein provideda construction which achieves the objects of this invention a'ccomplishes Vresults ofreal practical value. The crank 38 is positioned upon the instrument board within convenient reach of the to Fig. 4, this means pref- *i driver and he may thus raise or'lower the rear shade with ease whenever desirable. The pulley 34 is preferably of'substantially greater diameter than the pulley 31 'so that simply one or two turns of the crank 38 rotates the roller 17 a number of times, whereby a comparatively slight turning ofthe crank is required to move the shade into and out of operative position. The pipe or'tube V3l is preferably of an easily bendable, matematter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is'to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention: A l

In a device` of the character described, a

roller adapted to be mounted above the rear window of an automobile, a window shade on said roller adapted to move into and out of operative position over the window, a. spring tending to turn said roller to roll u said shade, a pulley on said roller at one en thereof,y a exible wire connected to rotate said pulley against the opposition of said spring and extending downwardly therefrom 1o substantially parallel with the side of the window, a tube adapted to maintain said wire in said position and to conduct anextension thereof to a position near the drivers seat, means on said shade adapted to be guided along said wire, a second pulley to which the forward end of said Wire is connected, means for retaining said second pulley in fixed position, and means operable from the drivers seat for rotating said second pulley to operate said shade. n In testimony whereof, I have signe-d my name to this specification this 2nd day of March, 1927.

WARREN C. MERCIER. 

